Chomsky on Haiti

This is a clip from an interview with Noam Chomsky, talking about Haiti on the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show.

The Opening

I have been thinking a lot about Haiti and the Haitian people this week, as I'm sure you have.  As the people of Haiti fight for their lives and to rebuild what has been destroyed by this earthquake, I am reminded of one of the incredible and almost universally unrecognized contributions Haitians have made to our world.

In 1791, Haitians rose up in arms against the French colonial occupying power and in about 10 years accomplished something that no group had ever done anywhere: they ended Slavery in Haiti.  This was the first and only successful slave revolution in human history of it's scale.  Haiti was the major sugar producer for the French empire, competing with British Barbados and Jamaica in the Caribbean as well as the indigo, rice, tobacco and cotton crops of the Amerian south - and all of this wealth came from the work of enslaved African people.  So it goes without saying that the threat that a revolution of enslaved people posed to all slave societies was enormous.

As a result, the United States (and other world powers) refused to acknowledge Haitian sovereignty after the revolution - in other words they isolated Haiti from any potential allies or trade partners in an overt attempt prevent the newly free people of Haiti from thriving.  Industrial capitalism, globalization, white supremacy - Haitians took a stand against all of these things and probably a bigger stand than any one people has ever taken.

So when we see footage or hear reports of haitian businesses crumpled into dust on either side of the rock-solid American embassy, or hear stories of the forests of the Dominican Republic that turn to dirt at the Haitian border, it is important to remember how Haiti became the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.  It was no accident.  Let's stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti and insist on a world where all our children, sisters and brothers live in equality.  Major changes are needed, a better world is possible.

Lastly, I'll add that I have always been particularly inspired by Toussaint Louverture, one of the key leaders of Haiti's revolution.  Louverture was a name he chose for himself - French for "the opening".

A statue of Toussaint Louverture

For more information on the Haitian Revolution, see the classic text - CLR James' "The Black Jacobins" or the celebrated contemporary work by Laurent DuBois, "Avengers of the New World".  I'd appreciate any recommendations for articles or books on modern Haiti that you might have, just post it in a comment.

Special Blend Studios

I've been trying to record another song for my myspace page...I'm having a hard time getting the rhythm right.  And the vocals are wobbly.  My friend and deskmate at the Arboretum, Kyle Stephens, has lent me his condenser mike - maybe that'll do the trick.  Behold, Special Blend Studios...

Tour Poster

My good buddy Glen Hutcheson (who I've known since I was 11 and he was, I believe, 8) has agreed to make Sandman and I a tour poster. Glen just opened a show in NYC of the work he did since recieving the Hohenberg Travel Award which allowed him to study art in Europe.  Here's some of his work:

Self Portrait:

Drawing:

You can check out all his work on his website and blog.  Tour poster coming soon!

Live Acoustic

You may have heard I'm going on tour in February with the illustrious Chris Sand AKA Sandman. Chris and I are in the middle of booking shows and planning the details of several months of travel and music. In fact, we will probably play your town or city!

I'm trying to put an album together, so far I've only recorded one song, called Heartbreak Blues. But this weekend I'm in New York City visiting my friend Hanon who works for the Nielsen corperation (the ones who do television ratings etc.) - they also own several magazines, including Billboard magazine. As a result, Hanon and his coworkers shoot and edit videos for some of the musicians they promote in their magazine and on their website. So on Saturday afternoon, with not a soul in the office, Hanon set up three cameras (including one gigantic "glide cam" that he strapped to his chest) and we spend three hours recording my first music video. And then he spent another three hours editing it. Here it is, enjoy. And when you're done, have a look at some more of Hanon's editing work.

Hiatus

You may have noticed that I haven't made a new post since March.  In the words of Salam Pax, the Baghdad Blogger: "I think hiatus is the word".  I have had a busy couple of months, thanks for bearing with me.

This one will be short and sweet: a scene I love from a wonderful Persian film called "Under the Moonlight", the controversial story of a young man who is struggling to decide weather or not to join the Islamic clergy.  This scene shows the playful, caring and brotherly side of Iran's men.

As you have seen in the western media, Middle Eastern men are most commonly seen being angry, mistreating women, acting the fanatic...these images are reinforced throughout western culture with disparaging references to us.  Take, for example, this fireworks package I found on the grounds the week before the 4th of July:

It says several things.  "Osama Bin Laden is a cartoon, a caricature, not a real man."  "Blowing him up would be funny".  "This would be a justified revenge."  And how different is Bin Laden from other muslim 'fanatics'?  Are all muslims 'fanatics'?  Does this help justify violence toward all muslims?

One of the joys of watching Persian cinema is that you get indigenous glimpses at how our people live and interact with one another.  "House of Sand and Fog" and "Not Without My Daughter", eat your hearts out.

Enjoy.

P.S. This is my first attempt to edit a film for a post.  Here's how I did it:

1. I downloaded this film in .avi format from IranTorrents.com

2. I edited this clip (cut it from the film) in Final Cut Pro

3. I exported it into a Final Cut Quicktime File

4. I converted it in Quicktime to XVid format

5. I uploaded it to Youtube

6. (the easy part) I linked the Youtube upload to this page.

-POTW

Dog Bag Holder

At long last, I am pleased to announce a new invention that has been months in the making; DOG BAG HOLDER. It all started when the dog walkers seemed to want to hang their extra plastic bags on the wrought iron gates to share with the other visitors. It was generally a very good idea, since it meant that 1. people had a use for their extra bags, 2. people who forgot their bags had a steady supply on the gates and 3. it encouraged people to scoop their poop.

The only problems were that 1. it made the gates look like they were covered in trash (and thus made me look bad) and 2. the bags blew off the gates and all around in the world. So I set forth and devised a solution - how can we provide a better way for people to share dogshit bags? First I thought about mounting a holder on the gates...but it turned out that gates are a sensitive issue around here, and people don't want to add things to them. Then it came to me: the trash barrels.  Nobody cares how they look  because they're already ugly (though I admit I find them more and more beautiful the more I paint their blemishes and hammer their dents - ever the doting father.)  So, I discussed it with some people and drew up some plans (pictured below).







Then I faxed the plans over to the good people at ARC Welding in Waltham and they said they'd make a prototype.  A few weeks later I visited their shop and picked them up.  The shop was amazing - full of machines and chains and motors and noise and air so thick you could see it.



Bob had it all ready for me - and it looked amazing, almost exactly like I'd drawn it. Better really.  It turned out that my plan was overly complicated and expensive, he simplified it and preserved the function and dimensions.  I had him weaving metal strips together and he just made it out of perforated sheets.  Here it is:









Then I took it back to the shop and painted it.  I made the mistake of painting it with outdoor glossy paint instead of spray-paint - and the thick oil-paint clogged the perforations up.  Then I tried to un-clog them (first with an air pressure hose, then with a pressure sprayer) which didn't really work.  Live and learn, spray-paint next time.





Then, on a VERY cold day, I froze my hands off installing it on the Mendum St. Barrel.  Several people, including my friend Ivy, have said they like the way it looks and they find it helpful.  I'm pleased with it too.  If the folks upstairs feel the same way, we'll order twelve more for the other gate-barrels.

Cinnamon Challenge

This week I got an email from Eric in Plant Records with a link to this video, entitled "The Cinnamon Challenge", staring himself, Steve from IT and a whole host of characters up on 4S (the top floor). It's really very funny, you should watch it.



It took me a few watches to understand exactly what's going on: supposedly it's impossible to swallow a whole spoonful of cinamon - it absorbs all the water in your mouth and turns to cement. We're trying to think of another challenge for this friday but haven't found one yet - so if any of you have ideas, let me know - you could find your idea posted in another video next week. Also, Eric, Abby (who's in the film too) and I are entering a 3 on 3 basketball tournament in a few weeks.

Shotgun Singer

Kris Delmhorst is my favorite local musician by a long shot.  I first met her in 1999 when I was a waiter at Bella Luna restaurant and she would play a weekly gig in the corner alcove.  I still remember moving the table and chairs out of the way and her playing songs from her first album - a cassette tape, if you can believe it.  It was the best demo tape I'd ever heard and I've been a major fan ever since.  She's a poet par excellence.  Her long awaited new album, Shotgun Singer, is about to drop.  And it's gonna be nice.  Ania, Elizabeth, Amanda, Andy and I went to her last boston show on valentines day, which was f@*#ing great.  Here's a clip of her from that show opening with a cover of Tina Turner's What's Love Got To Do With It (definitely wade through the first minute of crappy sound and visual, it gets better):

This next song is called Blue Adeline, from the new album (I was better with the handycam at this point.)

Persepolis

If you haven't seen it yet, the film adaptation of the Persepolis Graphic novels (by Marjane Satrapi) is excellent - Amanda and I really loved it. It's a memoir of Satrapi's life in pre and post-revolutionary Iran and her families experiences under the Shah and Ayatollah. Remember, it's not to be taken literally as the only interpretation of 20th century Iran and the '79 revolution, but it is certainly valuable as one woman's story. Though it is a great victory for the world when a Muslim woman makes a film that is so well received in the west, it is nonetheless an example of the new orientalist narrative, where 'westernized easterners' replace western explorers as the conveyers of all things exotic and intriguing. This is particularly evident in her portrayal of religious Iranians in the film - they are generally shown as barbaric, vulgar and violent. But generally, her treatment of history and politics is nuanced and explores many sides of each issue.

Now, in local news...

 In case you haven't had the opportunity to see this, here is a 'wood catalogue' that sits in the basement of our building.





It was made by Ralph F. Perry out of wood from our trees, and serves as a research tool for those interested in identifying wood based on its grain and color. It's really a thing of beauty. Here's his picture.



Bruce and Wes have been insulating the windows in our storage space for the last few weeks. It looks pretty great:



And Jen (multitalented as she is) wrote a great article on Mojito Cupcakes for her website Finders Eaters, which you should check out.

Here are some trash finds for the week:

Someone tried (unsuccessfully) to set up a tent on state lab slope



Someone tried (apparently successfully) to avoid giving life to their progeny



And I found some children's toys and dolls. Here's a character from Pixar's Flushed Away. I found it on the side of the road, still in the package...



and here's what was inside



I also found Tigger in the trash.



Tigger, you rock. Lastly, some natural and beautiful things. The birds use trash to make their nests:



Leaves frozen under the ice



And buds starting to appear on the trees



"No matter how cold the winter, spring always comes."
- Sandman